Entries tagged with “Blog Direction” from Sketchy's Kitchen
Someone posed this question to me today:
My wife and I watched Decoding Ferran Adria:Hosted by Anthony Bourdain a few days ago. This was an insightful look into the mind, kitchen, and lab of the world's leading molecular gastronomist, and still reigning holder of the title of the worlds best restaurant. It was a fascinating video behind the process of the dishes they prepare at elBulli, but it also explains the world of MG in a way that can be absorbed by they television watching public.
When trying to explain my fascination behind MG, I often need to explain the concepts behind it. Most people think it's about foams, sferes, gells, and chemicals. Well, that is partially right, but the part they fail to see is the science part. The priceless work of Harold McGee, Herve This, and other scientists and chefs. McGee and This have spent years finding out why things work the way they do. Why does food brown when seared, why does acid break certain sauces, why do eggs whip, what is a hydrocolloids and how do they work?
For the average home chef, you never think about why whipped egg whites form stiff peaks, or why flour sauces thicken when they cool. You just follow the recipes and hope for the best. This is one area I find so interesting. Once you understand the mechanics behind the chemical bonds, proteins, and emulsifications, you can take that knowledge to the experimental side. This is the other side of Molecular Gastronomy. I prefer to think of this as the application of the knowledge gained from the research.
There are many facets to this side of cooking. Some are considered standard techniques, some are considered exotic and radical. A few days ago I made a tomato consommé. The traditional consommé involves egg whites, rafting, and other steps. The MG solution involves a few grams of sheet gelatin, a coffee filter, and time. It was cheaper ingredient wise, and you get a purer flavor in the end. Gelatin filtration was discovered in 2004, and is still relatively unknown to the home cook. You can use this technique for anything, and you get a clear liquid from whatever you use. Fruit, stock, vegetables, bread, cookies - the gelatin will hold all the particulate matter, so all you end up with is clear liquid.
Most people only see the foams and caviar side of molecular gastronomy. Every now and then you have someone who is making ice-cream with liquid nitrogen. I want to explore those aspects of MG, but I also want to try the things people aren't familiar with. I want to do this for a few reasons. I want to know more about the ingredients and how they work, but I also want to be able to surprise company with things they are familiar with, but served in a totally foreign way. Is the taste any better - in the case of caviar and ravioli - no, it tastes the same. Is the experience different - yes. Most people find these experiences enjoyable, where the traditional experience is just eating.
In this quest for knowledge, I have come across ways to make dishes I have made before even better. Parmesan crisps - melt the cheese on a silpat, then form when it is still warm. when it dries, you have a lacy crisp. Well, I have a recent post about a new way to make these. The addition of egg white makes a much more refined crisp. It is lighter and more delicate. The egg white acts as a binding agent for the cheese and allows it to be manipulated in a way that straight cheese will not allow.
Currently, I have two pouches of Activa (transglutamase) taunting me at home. One is the powder form, the other should be used as a slurry. This chemical has large purposes in the industrial food industry, and has been used for a few years in a few restaurants. It is meat glue. It is used in every chicken nugget, formed meat patty, and in many vegetarian dishes. The enzyme binds meat proteins together and forms a permanent bond. The real challenge is to find an interesting application, with regard for cook times. You could bond a chicken breast to a NY strip steak, but the cooking temperatures will not jive together. You'd end up with cooked chicken and overcooked beef.
This is the fun challenge with the application molecular gastronomy. Finding ways to execute dishes that taste good, while using these new techniques. Some may ask - why not cook it like you've always cooked it. Some people may not like change, but I love change. There's a place for everything, but there's no harm in trying something new. What happens if I add some dehydrated orange powder to my meat rub? Will the added sugars in the orange powder assist the Maillard reaction on the pork, or will it add an off flavor? If it creates a nice flavorful brown crust, I might have discovered a new ingredient to include in all my meat rubs.
I keep track of all my kitchen adventures on this blog, and in a little black leather book next to the kitchen computer. Each time I try an elBulli recipe, I write notes on what worked, what didn't work, and what I added/took away from the recipe. I've tried more then a handful of marshmallow recipes. Some with egg whites, some without, some with sheet gelatin, some with powdered gelatin. Different ratios of sugar, egg white, gelatin, water, juice, extracts, etc. When I take these recipes and the knowledge I have acquired from reading about the molecular bonds that are formed, and the chemical reactions that take place as the ingredients combine and cook, I have come up with a foolproof recipe that I can call my own and be proud of.
When I give my people my marshmallows, I typically get this one reaction: Oh WOW.....mmmmm... I don't think I can eat store bought marshmallows ever again.
See if you can get a hold of Decoding Ferran Adria. It is a great way to get a little knowledge behind the true concept of Molecular Gastronomy.
Molecular Gastronomy? Why? Why!? WHY!?!?! It just seems so ridiculous and over the top for no reason except shock value to me.I think this attitude comes from a misunderstanding about the whole concept of Molecular Gastronomy. Most of the general public's only exposure to molecular gastronomy comes from Top Chef and Iron Chef America. You have people like Marcel using foams on every dish, and chefs making monstrosities of dishes on Iron Chef. Hell, Anthony Bourdain thought this way - it's all for show, useless for the cooking world. Well, that was until he spent some time with Ferran Adria.
My wife and I watched Decoding Ferran Adria:Hosted by Anthony Bourdain a few days ago. This was an insightful look into the mind, kitchen, and lab of the world's leading molecular gastronomist, and still reigning holder of the title of the worlds best restaurant. It was a fascinating video behind the process of the dishes they prepare at elBulli, but it also explains the world of MG in a way that can be absorbed by they television watching public.
When trying to explain my fascination behind MG, I often need to explain the concepts behind it. Most people think it's about foams, sferes, gells, and chemicals. Well, that is partially right, but the part they fail to see is the science part. The priceless work of Harold McGee, Herve This, and other scientists and chefs. McGee and This have spent years finding out why things work the way they do. Why does food brown when seared, why does acid break certain sauces, why do eggs whip, what is a hydrocolloids and how do they work?
For the average home chef, you never think about why whipped egg whites form stiff peaks, or why flour sauces thicken when they cool. You just follow the recipes and hope for the best. This is one area I find so interesting. Once you understand the mechanics behind the chemical bonds, proteins, and emulsifications, you can take that knowledge to the experimental side. This is the other side of Molecular Gastronomy. I prefer to think of this as the application of the knowledge gained from the research.
There are many facets to this side of cooking. Some are considered standard techniques, some are considered exotic and radical. A few days ago I made a tomato consommé. The traditional consommé involves egg whites, rafting, and other steps. The MG solution involves a few grams of sheet gelatin, a coffee filter, and time. It was cheaper ingredient wise, and you get a purer flavor in the end. Gelatin filtration was discovered in 2004, and is still relatively unknown to the home cook. You can use this technique for anything, and you get a clear liquid from whatever you use. Fruit, stock, vegetables, bread, cookies - the gelatin will hold all the particulate matter, so all you end up with is clear liquid.
Most people only see the foams and caviar side of molecular gastronomy. Every now and then you have someone who is making ice-cream with liquid nitrogen. I want to explore those aspects of MG, but I also want to try the things people aren't familiar with. I want to do this for a few reasons. I want to know more about the ingredients and how they work, but I also want to be able to surprise company with things they are familiar with, but served in a totally foreign way. Is the taste any better - in the case of caviar and ravioli - no, it tastes the same. Is the experience different - yes. Most people find these experiences enjoyable, where the traditional experience is just eating.
In this quest for knowledge, I have come across ways to make dishes I have made before even better. Parmesan crisps - melt the cheese on a silpat, then form when it is still warm. when it dries, you have a lacy crisp. Well, I have a recent post about a new way to make these. The addition of egg white makes a much more refined crisp. It is lighter and more delicate. The egg white acts as a binding agent for the cheese and allows it to be manipulated in a way that straight cheese will not allow.
Currently, I have two pouches of Activa (transglutamase) taunting me at home. One is the powder form, the other should be used as a slurry. This chemical has large purposes in the industrial food industry, and has been used for a few years in a few restaurants. It is meat glue. It is used in every chicken nugget, formed meat patty, and in many vegetarian dishes. The enzyme binds meat proteins together and forms a permanent bond. The real challenge is to find an interesting application, with regard for cook times. You could bond a chicken breast to a NY strip steak, but the cooking temperatures will not jive together. You'd end up with cooked chicken and overcooked beef.
This is the fun challenge with the application molecular gastronomy. Finding ways to execute dishes that taste good, while using these new techniques. Some may ask - why not cook it like you've always cooked it. Some people may not like change, but I love change. There's a place for everything, but there's no harm in trying something new. What happens if I add some dehydrated orange powder to my meat rub? Will the added sugars in the orange powder assist the Maillard reaction on the pork, or will it add an off flavor? If it creates a nice flavorful brown crust, I might have discovered a new ingredient to include in all my meat rubs.
I keep track of all my kitchen adventures on this blog, and in a little black leather book next to the kitchen computer. Each time I try an elBulli recipe, I write notes on what worked, what didn't work, and what I added/took away from the recipe. I've tried more then a handful of marshmallow recipes. Some with egg whites, some without, some with sheet gelatin, some with powdered gelatin. Different ratios of sugar, egg white, gelatin, water, juice, extracts, etc. When I take these recipes and the knowledge I have acquired from reading about the molecular bonds that are formed, and the chemical reactions that take place as the ingredients combine and cook, I have come up with a foolproof recipe that I can call my own and be proud of.
When I give my people my marshmallows, I typically get this one reaction: Oh WOW.....mmmmm... I don't think I can eat store bought marshmallows ever again.
See if you can get a hold of Decoding Ferran Adria. It is a great way to get a little knowledge behind the true concept of Molecular Gastronomy.
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